


Not As He Expected

by MarvelousGinger



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Compliant, Cute, Friends to Lovers, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, M/M, Not Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Compliant, mostly - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:34:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26163478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarvelousGinger/pseuds/MarvelousGinger
Summary: After the war, life did not turn out as Ron had expected it.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Ron Weasley
Comments: 6
Kudos: 98





	Not As He Expected

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own any of the characters

Two years after the Battle of Hogwarts, marking the end of the Second Wizarding War, life wasn’t exactly the way Ron had expected it to be. All his life he had thought he would work in some branch of the Ministry, like his father and Percy. As it turned out, he did not. After the war and Fred’s death, Ron - along with Harry and Hermione - had gone back to Hogwarts to get his N.E.W.T.S. Once he got out, he started working with George at the joke shop and had now been doing so for nearly a year. In his love as in his work, Ron’s expectations were nothing like the reality turned out to be. For the last few years he thought he would marry Hermione after school, or at least a girl. He hadn’t planned on finding out his much-pronounced preference in men. And, if that hadn’t been enough, he certainly didn’t plan that this “eighth year” would see him and his friends getting closer to Malfoy, Parkinson and Zabini, nor that it would lead to Hermione and Pansy dating - Blaise and Draco had been much less of a surprising couple.

But there he was. About to spend most of his summer of 2000 in the Burrow with his parents. Not having a partner and with Angelina moving in in Ron and George’s apartment didn’t leave him much of a choice. The positive point was that Molly Weasley had the awesome idea of inviting Harry over for two weeks on the pretence that the man had to relax a bit.

Ron rarely saw his best friend these days. With his breakup with Ginny and his coming out he had been avoiding the Burrow as much as he could get away with, thinking that Molly would be mad, even hate him for breaking her daughter’s heart - which she absolutely didn’t. The truth is that even Ginny hadn’t cared and had since gotten together with Luna. To add to that, Harry’s time was split between his Auror training - he, somehow, still wanted to fight - and the renovation of 12 Grimmauld Place. He had been living in a small studio in Muggle London, hoping to avoid the _Prophet_ journalists such as that beetle of Skeeter who, as of late, had deemed funny to write an article untitled _“Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Cannot-Live-Without-A-War”_. But now, he wanted to restore the place and live in his godfather’s old family house. With all of this, he hardly had any time to go outside and see his friends outside of the few Burrow dinners he attended. So, Ron was more than happy to have Harry at home for two weeks. Being both single, there was no man to come in between their friendship.

What Ron hadn’t planned is that now neither Ron nor Harry saw the other as just a friend.

***

Harry James Potter. He was the bloody saviour of the Wizarding World and he was more scared of Flooing to the Burrow than he had been when facing the Dark Lord. He was actually happy to see Ron, despite his somewhat new feelings, and -even though she kept repeating that it didn’t change a thing - Harry was actually afraid that he had disappointed Molly, the woman who took him in as a son, both for leaving Ginny and being gay. He couldn’t know that homosexuality was widely accepted in the Wizarding World. On top of that he clearly had been avoiding the Weasleys for the past year and felt guilty about it. They had given him everything and deserved so much better than the ungrateful prat that Harry had been.

After pacing for more than half an hour in front of the Floo, he finally decided that he didn't actually have a choice now that he said he would go. So, he took a handful of Floo Powder and called for the Burrow.

He arrived right on time and, as soon as he stepped out of the fireplace, was crushed into one of Molly’s infamous, bone-crushing, hugs. His face half-buried in the matriarch's hair, he couldn’t see who else was there. But he soon enough guessed when he heard Mr. Weasley telling his wife to “let the poor boy breathe for once”, quickly followed by a sound that made his stomach do a flip; Ron’s laugh. He lost all force to fight the hug and Molly soon let him go.

“Harry, dear! It’s been such a long time since you last came. It’s good to finally see you. We’ve missed you.”

“I am sorry Mrs. Weasley, I wanted to come but…”

“Don’t worry, dear. And please, I’ve already told you to call me Molly.”

“Right. Thank you, Molly. It’s just that… I thought you’d be mad at me. Because of the whole story with Ginny and me being…”’

“Bullshit, mate! We don’t care. I’m glad you’ve finally decided to take some holidays.” As he said this, Ron went to greet Harry with a hug. But, a last second thought made him feel awkward about this and they settled on an uneasy handshake and a quick pat on the back. Harry then went to shake Mr. Weasley’s hand and they headed towards the living room.

During dinner, Harry learnt that it would be the four of them for most of the time he’d stay there but that other family members and extended family would be stopping by every once in a while, just for the day or a meal. To Harry’s great relief, Molly never mentioned his and Ginny’s previous relationship at all, nor did she mention his lack of visit again. What was weird, though, was the sort of tension hanging between him and Ron. Maybe he was just imagining things, or it was just him, projecting his awkwardness on his best friend. To be fair, how could he not be when his unrequited crush for his best friend was painfully more obvious as the minutes went by.

After dinner they went to the sitting room to drink some tea and continue talking for a while. But that is the moment Molly chose to ask the much-dreaded question.

“Harry, dear. Did you have any luck, as of late, in the love department?”

“Molly, love…” Mr. Weasley looked uneasy.

“No, Arthur. I have the right to know if our Harry has found a lovely man to introduce to us soon.” Now it was Harry’s turn to feel uneasy and to blush. Funnily enough, Ron’s cheeks also took a Gryffindor shade of red.

“Er… No Mrs… Molly. I haven’t found anybody. It’s…”

“It’s not like he has time, does it?” Ron had suddenly interrupted him. “You know, Mum, with his job and Grimmauld Place and all.”

“I think Harry could have answered for himself. And I perfectly understand Ronald. But then, explain to me why is it that _you_ also are still single? It’s not like you don’t have time.” Ron looked away and never answered his mother’s question.

After this little awkward moment, they kept talking for about twenty more minutes before they all went to sleep. Despite nearly all the rooms being empty, the two best friends still slept in Ron’s room “for old time’s sake” they said. Without uttering anything other than “Goodnight, mate”, they went to sleep.

***

When Ron woke up the next morning, Harry was still fast asleep in the camp bed next to his. When he was sleeping, his best friend looked so peaceful. His face was relaxed, giving him almost childlike features - the lack of a beard also helped. His hair was as messy as usual but looked like a black halo spread onto his pillow. His famous scar along with some others were still present and quite noticeable on his tanned skin, proof of what the man had gone through while still a child. Ron knew all of Harry’s scars. The lightning on his forehead, the mark on his chest, the writing on his hand… He had a few himself - from the brains and his splinting - but they didn’t seem to matter as much as Harry’s did. When the man slept, there was only one thing Ron regretted not being able to see: those two bright emeralds, so often hidden behind a pair of glasses, so full of hope. Those eyes that were now looking at him in complete confusion. Wait… what?

“Ron? Are you awake?” Harry’s voice was still thick and raspy with sleep. Luckily, he didn’t have his glasses, which meant he was still half blind.

“Yes, Haz, I am. Why?”

“Oh, nothing… I just thought… Maybe I just imagined it… Nevermind. Did you sleep well, mate?” A slight blush had once again started to colour Harry’s cheeks, and frankly, he looked so cute this way; bed hair, no glasses and his pink cheeks.

It was only the beginning of the day and Ron was already worried about the way he thought about his best friend and even more about the way his body reacted to it. It was only the first day of two weeks that promised to be agonisingly long with his secret love being shoved directly into his face.

By the time they went downstairs for breakfast, the red-haired man had his body and thoughts under control. Or so he thought until Harry brushed his hand while reaching for a cup in the cupboard, or when their knees bumped under the table or even when they ended with their hands on top of each other when reaching for the bread at the same time. Of course, these were little things and they both were completely oblivious of the reaction it caused to the other. Molly and Arthur weren’t, and they kept exchanging knowing glances all through breakfast as these little “accidents” happened.

That same afternoon saw Ginny and George arrive for their weekly visit to the Burrow. They soon decided to play a little game of two-a-side Quidditch in the garden. It was fun since neither of them played the same spot during their Hogwarts years - Ginny had played as a substitute Seeker when Harry was banned or injured but she was a Chaser at heart. Despite her now professional level, Harry and Ron managed to win 180-100 when Harry caught the snitch right under the Harpies’ Chaser’s nose. The moment they reached the ground, the two friends ran to each other’s arms for a _quick_ celebratory hug. As it turned out, it was celebratory but… not so _quick_. Ron was enjoying this allowed proximity, the heat of Harry’s body, his arms around the smaller one’s waist. What brought them back to reality was the sound of George clearing his throat while Ginny was clearly laughing her ass off.

“They’re cute, aren’t they Gin? You reckon they’ll soon make _Witch Weekly_ ’s new ‘It Couple’?”

“Dunno George. I think they might want to keep it undercover for a bit. You know, with Harry hating the press and Ron having a whole broom cupboard up his…”

“Shut up you two.” Harry had whispered this barely loud enough for them to hear him. His blush was slightly less noticeable due to his darker complexion but that wasn’t Ron’s case who quickly turned beet-root red from neck to ears. He tried to come up with a witty reply but the stammer that came out was barely convincing.

“I… we… what are you talking… Harry and I are… we’re… just… just friends.”

Harry’s face fell at the comment, it went completely unnoticed by Ron.

The rest of the day went as normally as it could with the slight awkwardness of the comment George and Ginny made.

By dinnertime Ron and Harry were back to their, more or less, normal selves. There were a few touches, none that they noticed. Once again, they remained the only clueless ones in front of a family who chose not to comment on what they saw.

The days went by and the touches became more and more frequent, more and more asserted and intentional. With that, there were also lingering gazes when the other looked somewhere else. The only thing that did not change was their obliviousness towards it all.

***

After nearly a week, Ron noticed something that he hadn’t yet. For some reason, he woke up in the middle of the night. After casting a quick Lumos in order to find what had woken him up, he heard a small noise, like a whimper. When he looked down on the bed next to his, he caught sight of a sobbing and shivering Harry. When a small “no, you killed them, I didn’t” escaped the Saviour’s lips, Ron immediately understood what was happening without having to think about it twice. Not doubting himself for one second, he got out of his bed and kneeled by his friend’s side. Quickly remembering how Harry might react he decided to be gentle when handling his friend - he really did not want to get any part of him hexed.

“Haz…” He shook his shoulder lightly. “Harry, mate. Wake up. It’s not real, it’s just a nightmare. He cannot hurt you.” Harry opened his eyes and started properly crying, loud and heart wrenching sobs echoing in the room. After casting a quick Muffliato he wrapped his arms around his friend, pulling him into a tight hug while muttering reassuring words and combing through the raven hair with his hand. “It’s okay Haz. I’m here, nothing is going to happen. I’m not letting go, I’ve got you. The war is over, sweetheart.”

Harry abruptly stopped crying before holding Ron back even tighter and let the remaining tears roll off his cheeks onto his best friend’s shoulder. After a minute and some sort of unspoken agreement, they climbed into Ron’s bed, still cuddling until they fell asleep.

When they woke up in the morning, they still were comfortably cuddling against each other. Both of them awake, they did not say a word as they silently enjoyed the proximity. However, the spell was soon broken when they heard someone knocking on the door and as soon as he came in the room uninvited, Bill started talking, not noticing anything in front of him.

“Boys, Mum said I needed to come and get you because…” And that is the moment when he actually made eye contact with both men. They had had time to let go of each other, but they were still in the same bed, guiltily avoiding the eldest eyes. “Nevermind, see you downstairs.”

After getting over the initial shock, they both got up and got dressed.

“Ron, is that a new shirt?”

“Yeah, it is. Er… How did you know.”

“Well, you look really good in it so… I don’t know… I figured I’d have noticed if it wasn’t new.”

“Oh… Thanks Haz.”

“You’re welcome.” As he said it, Harry blushed once more but even harder.

When in the kitchen, nobody said anything. But nobody had expected that, when Ron leant over the kitchen counter, Harry would come behind him, announcing his presence with a hand on the Weasley’s hip, leaning his chest against the other’s back while Harry's left hand reached for a cup. Ron’s heart actually missed a beat. Then Harry just went back to his seat as if nothing had happened. Except it _had_ happened and Ron had frozen over the shock of it. Even the rest of the Weasley clan present - Molly, Arthur, Bill and Fleur - just started smiling without even bothering hiding it.

The best friends now unashamedly acted like a couple all the time. The only thing they didn’t do was kissing. As Harry’s nightmares kept coming and Ron kept waking up to comfort him, they had started to go to sleep together, in the same bed and falling asleep cuddling and enjoying each other’s warmth.

Soon came the pet names. Mostly, it was Ron calling Harry things such as “sweetheart” or “sweetie”, but, eventually, the raven-haired called his _friend_ “babe” and, once, he inadvertently let a sweeter name escape. They were setting the table and Harry needed Ron’s help since he had forgotten a plate.

‘Could you please pass me a plate, lov… Ron!”

“Sure thing, Haz.” When he turned his back after giving him the plate, Ron smiled as an idea formed into his head. It was Harry’s last night at the Burrow, the following day he would be leaving to go back to Grimmauld Place. It was Ron’s last chance to confess his feelings and Haz’s little slip had led him to think that - maybe - his crush wasn’t as one-sided as he had previously thought.

Dinner went as normally as it could these days. They all ate, laughed, Charlie swung by for dessert, Harry and Ron were a little too close for them to pretend to be only friends, complimenting each other as much as they could.

“Mum, have you seen what Harry did with his house? He showed me a memory in the Pensieve earlier, all the work he did is amazing, absolutely wonderful. I don’t know how he did it, he’s awesome!” And he kept on about Harry’s greatness all through the end of dinner, oblivious to the way the rest of the family looked at them knowingly and the way Harry smiled fondly, his cheeks reddening.

After dessert, they all moved to the sitting room, but just before they crossed the door, Ron grabbed Harry’s wrist to hold him back.

“Haz, sweetie, would you like to go outside for a bit? There is something I want to talk to you about.”

“Of course, babe.” He grabbed Ron’s hand and followed him outside.

They stopped under the biggest tree of the garden, the one with fairy-lights hanging. Ron in front of Harry, hands holding hands, never breaking eye contact.

“Harry, sweetie. I have been keeping this a secret for too long. I am sorry if you don’t feel the same, and if this makes things weird between us. But, these last two weeks have led me to think that, maybe, just maybe, this might not be completely one-sided, so why not take a chance. I wouldn’t want to miss it if it were the case. I know I’m rambling now, but understand me, I’m nervous, I don’t want to lose you.” Harry chuckled and freed one of his hands to bring it to cup Ron’s face, while his other thumb rubbed the hand still in his. “What I am trying to say is that… I’ve been thinking about you, seeing you as more than just a friend, more than just my best friend. I have been for a while now. I love you, Haz.” Harry’s eyes were shining with unshed tears.

“Ronald Weasley. You are a complete git, you know, that right? I have been in love with you for years. Why do you think you were the one taken from me during the second task, _‘the one I’d miss the most in the world’_?”

Moving his arms to place them around Harry’s waist, Ron tugged him closer to him. His breath soon ghosting over the Saviour’s lips before covering them in a sweet, loving kiss. Harry eagerly kissed him back. They stayed there for some time, enjoying each other’s closeness and trading lazy kisses.

Once they went back inside, Ron’s arm still around Harry’s waist, they were greeted by cheers and congratulated by Bill for “finally getting their shit together and opening their bloody eyes” because they all were supposedly “sick of watching them pin for each other”. They all talked for a while and then went to sleep.

“Ron?”

“Yes, love?” Harry blushed slightly at the pet name but smiled.

“I was wondering if you… I mean do you want to… it’s okay if you don’t… if you wanted to come to Grimmauld Place with me? I could use a little help and it would allow us to spend a bit more time together. You don’t have to! But, I… I’d kinda like it…” Smiling fondly, Ron kissed his new boyfriend.

“Of course, I want to come with you, honey. I’d love it. I’ll let mum know about it tomorrow morning and I’ll leave with you after lunch.”

Both happy and their bodies tangled, they fell asleep.

***

As per usual, Harry woke up first. He decided he’d wait until Ron to break the news to the Weasley parents. It turned out they all were too asleep and didn’t talk much during breakfast. When Ron came downstairs, he greeted his parents and then went to Harry and placed a soft kiss on his lips before preparing his breakfast. It shocked neither the parents nor Percy -who had arrived 10 minutes before Ron woke up - and the three just looked at them, genuinely happy for their boys.

“Mum, Dad, I’m leaving with Harry this afternoon. I’m gonna help him with the house renovations.”

“How long are you going?”

“Dunno. Maybe until the end of the holidays. When we go back to work.”

Needless to say, that he stayed for much longer than he had told his mother. In fact, he never left. After a month, they had finished and properly moved into Grimmauld Place together, taking Teddy in because Andromeda was getting a little too old to care for him. After a year, they got married.

Nineteen years later, they had adopted seven orphans of magical descent - the first ones had been war orphans, twins about Teddy’s age - three of them and Teddy were now of Hogwarts age while the other four stayed at home with Harry. Ron was now co-owner of Weasley Wizarding Wheezes and his husband had dropped his Auror training in order to do what he had always wanted; he had become a writer under the name Roonil Wazlib.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it.
> 
> Comments and kudos are always welcome <3


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